Poland’s president on Monday tapped outgoing Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to try to form a new government even though his Law and Justice party lost its parliamentary majority in a national election three weeks ago.
Quick Read
- Poland’s President Andrzej Duda appointed Mateusz Morawiecki to form a new government despite his Law and Justice party losing its parliamentary majority in the recent election.
- The president’s decision may stall the establishment of a new government since the opposition secured enough votes to control Parliament and intends to displace the current ruling party.
- Duda, an ally of Law and Justice, argued that the party should have the first opportunity to form a government as it is still the largest party in the country.
- Should Morawiecki be unsuccessful, Duda has committed to quickly endorsing a candidate proposed by Parliament, which is expected to be led by the opposition.
- The opposition, including figures like Grzegorz Schetyna from Donald Tusk’s Civic Platform party, condemned the move as creating political uncertainty at a globally challenging time.
- Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz, another opposition member, accused the president of acting against Poland’s interests and contrary to the people’s will.
- Morawiecki has expressed his intention to attempt to form a government, even though the opposition’s victory suggests many Poles are ready for a change after years of conflict with the EU over judicial independence.
- If Morawiecki cannot secure parliamentary support, which is likely, a new government may not be in place until possibly mid-December.
- Duda’s legal obligation is to appoint the new government within 14 days after Parliament’s first session, and Morawiecki will then have another 14 days to seek a vote of confidence before the responsibility to nominate a prime minister reverts to Parliament.
The Associated Press has the story:
President taps Poland’s outgoing PM to form new govt despite lack of a majority
Newslooks- WARSAW, Poland (AP)
Poland’s president on Monday tapped outgoing Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to try to form a new government even though his Law and Justice party lost its parliamentary majority in a national election three weeks ago.
The decision by President Andrzej Duda was likely to delay formation of a new government in Poland, the fifth most populous country in the European Union, because the opposition won enough votes in the Oct. 15 election to take control of Parliament and oust the nationalist and conservative government after eight years in power.
Duda, an ally of the current government, said Law and Justice should get the first chance to form a government since it remains the country’s biggest party. If Morawiecki fails, it will be up to Parliament to propose a prime minister and he will immediately endorse the candidate, the president added.
“Following a calm analysis and consultations I have decided to task Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki with the mission of forming a government,” Duda said in a televised address. “I decided to continue the good parliamentary tradition according to which the winning party is the first to be given the opportunity to form a government.”
Opposition politicians criticized Duda’s decision, saying it creates political uncertainty while delaying the inevitable formation of a government under the opposition’s leader, former EU president Donald Tusk, at a time of trouble in the world.
“At a difficult geopolitical moment, the president is treating us to more weeks of chaos and bad political cabaret,” said Grzegorz Schetyna, of Tusk’s Civic Platform party.
Another opposition politician, Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz, said Duda’s tapping of Morawiecki as prime minister “is a conscious action to the detriment of Poland and against the will of the Polish nation.”
There was no immediate reaction from Morawiecki, but he has been saying since the election that he intends to try to build a new government.
The three opposition parties together won 248 seats in the 460-seat lower house of Parliament in a big win for Tusk, who was Poland’s prime minister in 2007-14 and served as European Council president, a top job in the EU, in 2014-19.
The result indicated many Poles wanted to head in a new direction after Law and Justice’s repeated clashes with the EU over laws that increased the party’s power over the judicial branch, eroding the separation of powers.
If Morawiecki fails to win backing in Parliament, as expected, Poland might not have a new government in place until mid-December.
Duda must appoint the new Morawiecki government within 14 days of the first session of the new Parliament, which convenes next Monday. Morawiecki will then have a further 14 days to hold a confidence vote. Only then would it fall to Parliament to appoint its choice for prime minister.
